"The site for Camp Ripley was first approved following World War I in 1929. The State of Minnesota purchased 12,000 acres (49 km2) of land to be used for military training. The site was officially named Camp Ripley in December 1930. It was named after Fort Ripley, a frontier fort that had been closed by the Federal Government in 1877. The fort was named for Brigadier General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley, a hero of the War of 1812. The remains of Fort Ripley are contained within the camp's property boundaries."
